Change Management Assignment

Why did the managers at the two organizations have different ethical stances towards their customers? (Hint go to J&J’s website and look at its Code of Ethics)? The key reason of two organizations having different ethical stances towards their customers appears to be that J&J’s managers believed in their company’s ethical values, so that when confronted with an ethical dilemma as in 1982, they consistently followed the credo’s rules when making business decisions. Johnson & Johnson moved immediately to protect the public even though there was little chance that any other supplies of Tylenol were contaminated and the fact that their product was defective and dangerous. At DC in contrast, managers had been just â€Å"going through the motions. † When push came to shove, they protected their own interests and those of their companies in illegal ways. Dow Corning’s managers postponed action and, to safeguard the profits of their company, but they paid the price. Within months of its decision to pull Tylenol from store shelves, however, J&J regained its status as leader in the painkiller market and has since increased its market share because of its enhanced reputation for being a highly ethical company. The behavior of Dow Corning (DC) managers seemed out of character to many people. They had widely publicized and well-developed internal ethics rules that were supposed to reign in and prevent unethical behavior. When confronted with a crisis, their ethics systems did not prevent either company’s managers behaving unethically and illegally. Johnson and Johnson (J&J) also had a system of ethical rules in place. At its center is a credo describing its ethical stance toward customers, employees, and other groups. Outline a series of steps Dow Corning’s directors and managers should have taken to have prevented this problem? Dow Corning’s directors and managers should have taken series of following steps to have prevented this problem: * They should examine the nature of ethics and the source of ethical problems. * They should have had some strong internal ethical system in place to help guide them in making decisions. Had they had a system like J&J, this would have never happened. Dow Corning’s directors and managers should have immediately moved to protect the public / stakeholder interest * They should define rules or guidelines that companies can use to decide whether a specific business decision is ethical or unethical These rules include utilitarian, moral rights, justice, and practical rules, * They should examine the legal environment of business and describe the many kinds of laws, rules and regulations that must be followed, both at home and abroad, if a company is to do business in an honest and ethical way since ethics plays in shaping the practice of business and the life of a people, society, and nation.

The Canadian Immigration Information

Stage 1b: Gathering Information and Research Fact #1 (Write down one fact that you found that helps you to argue your specific political issue and helps to support your Party’s position on the political spectrum) Canada allows around 250,000+ immigrants into Canada each year. Comment on the above fact (make reference to your Party’s goals/political spectrum beliefs): That is a large number of immigrants entering Canada each year. Allowing so many immigrants into Canada each year is not fair to Canadians already living in Canada. These immigrants are competing for jobs with Canadians.This can also increase the unemployment rate and many could lose their jobs. Immigrants have benefits to the economy too, but not when 250,000 + are entering each year. From those, 150,000 are skilled workers that can benefit Canada. The number of total immigrants must be brought down to around 130,000 – 150,000 a year. That way we give a chance for some skilled workers, refugees and others to enter Canada while saving jobs for Canadians. Of those 130,000 – 150,000 we will make sure that at least 80% (104,000 – 120,000) of these immigrants should skilled and educated workers that can benefit the Canadian economy and society.Others should be people who are desperately in need of a Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Residence cards. Therefore making sure people in the country are served in the highest quality while still giving foreigners a chance to experience life in Canada. Fact #1 Source: â€Å"Be Humane With Genuine Refugees, But Do Not Put Up With Fraud. † – Immigration Watch Canada. N. p. , n. d. Web. 07 June 2012. . Fact #2 (Write down another fact that you found that helps you to argue your specific political issue and helps to support your Party’s position on the political spectrum) 0,000 students come to study in Canada every year on a temporary residence visa or a study permit. These students must be able to prove that they can pay for their tuition, have a clean criminal record, be in good health, and leave the country once they are finished. Comment on the above fact (make reference to your Party’s goals/political spectrum beliefs): Everybody has a right to learn whether or not it is in Canada or not. As left winger we want to provide an equal chance for everyone to earn an education in Canada. We will encourage students from all around the world to come study in Canada.We would minimize the restrictions for students to come and study in Canada. For example, whether or not a person is sick should not hold their ability to be able to study in Canada. Foreign students bring a rich culture to our classrooms and their knowledge and skills should be welcome in our schools. Fact #2 Source: â€Å"Studying in Canada. † Studying in Canada. N. p. , n. d. Web. 07 June 2012. . Fact #3 (Write down another fact that you found that helps you to argue your specific political issue and helps to su pport your Party’s position on the political spectrum)In Canada 27,852 refugees enter Canada out of the 250,000 that immigrate to Canada each year. Comment on the above fact (make reference to your Party’s goals/political spectrum beliefs): â€Å"Canada offers refugee protection to people in Canada who fear persecution or whose removal from Canada would subject them to a danger of torture, a risk to their life or a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. † If the number of immigrant into Canada decreases to 130,000 – 150,000 each year than at least 15% of these immigrants must be refugees.Refugees need help and are in desperate need of a place to stay. Letting around 18,000 – 20,000 refugees into Canada is a good amount and can save many people’s lives. These people have a right to experience freedom and peace in Canada. Therefore, refugees should be a big part of immigrants that enter Canada next to skilled workers. Fact #3 Sourc e: â€Å"Refugees. † The Refugee System. N. p. , n. d. Web. 07 June 2012. . ———————– Due Date: Friday, June 8th My Party’s Political Spectrum Position is: Left Wing The Political Issue I am responsible for is: Immigration

Biographical Interpretation Works In Relation Essay

Many literary works come across as hard for explanation, it’s been a problem since literature has been a main stay in society. Over time many styles of interpretation have been both approached and adapted by readers and critics alike. One of the most popular is the biographical interpretation. This is when a reader makes use of details regarding the life, times and works of an author as a means of solving interpretive problems. The biographical interpretation is a very good way to get inside the readers head because the past, and your past experiences are what shape your mind as it matures over time, even the smallest experience can make a decent sized impact on one’s thought process. Mark Twain is a good example of an author that has been analyzed, possibly even over analyzed. By every angle he has been looked at, most notably for his works on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. If you were to read his book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn without taking a look at any biographical pieces about Mark Twain you would undoubtedly not get as much out of the novel as you would in contrast, if you were to read the biography. To prove the point the help of the semi-biographical essay The Life of Samuel Clemens and the Reception of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn will be called upon throughout the essay. At the beginning of the biographical essay there is an excellent explanation of the personal side of Twain â€Å"the only clear picture is that Twain was a man of paradox† (pg. 19). The reason this excerpt fits the topic of biographical interpretation is because one key word within that quote, that key word being paradox. A paradox is a statement that seems contrary to common sense and yet is perhaps true. With The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn being the novel that we are taking a look at in contrast to the biographical side of Mark Twain this word, paradox, fits perfectly since there are paradoxes running throughout the novel. A good example of a paradox in the novel is from the mouth of Huck Finn himself: When it was dark I set by my campfire smoking, and feeling pretty satisfied; but by-and-by it got sort of lonesome, and so I went and set on the bank†¦ and counted the stars and drift-logs and rafts that come down, and then went to bed; there ain’t no better wa y to put in time when you are lonesome; you  can’t stay so, you soon get over it. (Pg. 62) The paradox that has been spoken by Huckleberry is that depression and lonesomeness can be slept away. Which when first heard can be looked over and seen as straight out nonsense. However if it is thought about closely most people that are depressed can be get a quick fix from what makes them depressed by sleeping through it as much as they can, sort of like sleep and relaxation was the drug of it’s time. It may sound inconceivable now, but in the era that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was penned the idea of sleeping, or rather lounging around for days was not that inconceivable because they did not live the busy lifestyle in which we live in current time. This is just one of many paradoxes throughout the book that reflect the author in a great way due to the fact that he was known as a living paradox because of the way he lived his life. For a man that made money out of writing about adventures of rafting down the Mississippi and barely getting by money wise seem so interesting. But grew up living in Connecticut for a good amount of time in his life and also seeking to be filthy rich, and have no worries is most likely the biggest paradox of his life. Another way that the book of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can be looked at from a biographical perspective and make sense is the fact that the main characters in the novel have a very similar background as to which they grew up in. In a paragraph written by an African American professor of eastern studies and a writer of African-American folktales and poetry. A man by the name of Julius Lester speaks of the relationship between Huck, Tom, and Mark Twain himself in a very unique manner. Just after he speaks of how he does not recollect ever reading the writings of Mark Twain, but then says something to the effect of what American child hasn’t read the tales of Huck and Tom so maybe he has, but the literature was not that significant to his life. What Lester has to say is something that most people taking the biographical interpretation approach should use as an approach to all authors in relation to the characters they write of: I do have an emotional memory of going to H annibal, Missouri with my parents when I was eight or nine, and visiting the two-story frame house where Mark Twain lived as a boy-where Huck and Tom lived as boys. (Pg. 341, Morality and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) This is a great comment because when you take a novel and  try and put a biographical interpretation onto that novel you need to take a very close look at the characters and their relation to the author. That is the mainstay of the biographical interpretation, how the characters are at all a parallel to the author. With Mark Twain himself growing up for part of his life on the Mississippi it gave him great knowledge of what he was talking about, and it gave him the roots of the characters that are now notable American icons. Him having the knowledge of the Mississippi, and of southern life in America at that time influenced the characters and the novel infinitely. Whether it is a satirical look at the way American life was at that time is a whole different essay. With all of this in mind it can be said that he sure lived the life of Huck and Tom whether it be on a lower level, or a parallel these characters and Mark Twain are one in the same. These are only a few examples of how the biographical interpretation of a novel is a very reliable approach to analyzing literature as long as you know that the biographical information is accurate. Doing this will also make the novel much more enjoyable because if you read the biographical essay, paragraph, novel, etc. Then you will be able to go along the book and be able to not look down upon the book, but look more for the reason that that author had said what he said, and what he really meant by it. It is about looking from the inside and looking out at the novel for the reasons behind what was said, instead of looking into the novel for the reasons to not read the book altogether

The Place of a Jury Trial in Modern Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Place of a Jury Trial in Modern - Essay Example This evidence is presented before a tribunal which has been mandated by law to adjudicate the claims or disputes of the parties. In our modern society, the most common and globally accepted tribunal is a court. The presentation of evidence, or the tribunal, is presided over by a judge. However, certain tribunals occur in the presence of a judge and a jury. There are 2 major different types of trials; these are a bench trial and a jury trial. A bench trial is a trial in which the presentation of evidence is done solely before a judge or a panel of judges. The judge(s) listens to the disputes of the two parties, analyses the evidence presented and depending on how compelling the evidence is, passes judgment either in favor of either party or dismisses the case. In essence, in a bench trial, the judge or panel of judges has the ultimate power. In a jury trial, the court proceedings are held in front of both the judge and the jury. A jury is a team of members in the community, usually ma de up of 12 people, who are chosen to give a verdict on a legal case that is presented before them in a court of law. The jury can either make the verdict or present their findings of facts to the judge for application in his ruling (Spooner, 1852, p. 6). The jury is an English word which comes from the word juror which means somebody who has taken the oath. The word originated from France with its original name being jurer. Historians cannot, for a fact, verify that the jury system existed in England prior to the 1100’s. However, it is well known that the right to trial by jury can be traced back to Magna Carta. It was also known as The Great Charter of the Liberties of England.  

Personality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Personality - Essay Example o being in constant unconscious battle within a person makes sense to me, as I liken it to a person’s continual debate of what is right and wrong, and then behaves according to his moral decisions. Such decisions are affected by what society dictates as well as what the person truly desires for himself. Anxiety is a state of tension that propels us to do something. It stems out of a conflict between the id, the ego and the superego over control of the person’s decisions. Anxiety warns the person of an impending danger. 1. â€Å"As an individual, I would not want (acceptance of gay behavior) to be our policy, just like I would not want it to be our policy that if we were to find out that so-and-so was sleeping with somebody elses wife, that we would just look the other way, which we do not. We prosecute that kind of immoral behavior," he said.† The act of General Pace calling gay people in the military immoral made him â€Å"rationalize† his hurtful statement that it was against his upbringing and that immoral acts such as sex between homosexuals should not be condoned. His rationalization only proves at least to himself that he is only doing his duty to protect the morality of citizens. 2. â€Å"The newspaper said Pace did not address concerns raised by a 2005 government audit that showed some 10,000 troops, including more than 50 specialists in Arabic, have been discharged because of the policy.† 3. "General Paces comments are outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful to the 65,000 lesbian and gay troops now serving in our armed forces," the advocacy group Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said in a statement on its Web site.† – The advocacy group may be exhibiting â€Å"denial† by insisting that General Pace’s comments were insensitive and disrespectful. Society does not openly accept homosexuality, and those who are still feel a certain guilt for being the way they are. Being faced with a strong comment like that of General Pace’s makes

"Taylor Rule and Inflation Targeting" Coursework

"Taylor Rule and Inflation Targeting" - Coursework Example Indeed, the rule reckons how the Federal Reserve System has raised the funds rate in responding to inflation. Moreover, the rule recognizes an output gap and observed inflation where the Federal Reserve manipulates the output gap to control inflation (Hetzel, 2000). However, there is uncertainty on whether the Taylor rule can offer fundamental explanation on future inflation rates especially in America. On the other hand, the central bank can use inflation targeting as a monetary policy. Inflation targeting influences the economy since it controls increase in price levels (Jahan, 2015). Indeed, if central bank in the U.S. used inflation targeting, it would declare a target inflation rate and seek to control the actual inflation toward the target inflation by regulating interest rates, which would consequently influence price levels. This will equally lead to a transparent monetary policy since the interest rates changes adopted by the central bank will foster clear and opposite inflation rates (Jahan, 2015). As such, under inflation targeting policy, the American economy would be more transparent and increasingly stable. The use of inflation targeting by the central bank in U.S would enable the economy to respond to economic shocks in the short run since inflation targeting entails â€Å"rules† and â€Å"discretion† in monetary policy (Jahan, 2015). Hetzel, R. L. (2000). The Taylor Rule: Is It a Useful Guide to Understanding Monetary Policy? Retrieved from

THE APPLE CASE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

THE APPLE CASE - Essay Example In relation to manage global innovation, it has been apparently observed that the company has utilised latest technological advancements and effectual business strategies with the intention of offering better services as well as products to its valuable customers. Moreover, the company invests a significant portion particularly in its research and development (R&D) segment in order to manage global innovation within the electronics industry. Furthermore, the company employ improved marketing as well as promotional techniques for providing advanced technological and feature enriched products or services to its broad base of customers. Thus, it can be stated that the company focuses upon the important aspects that include introduction and development of advanced technologies and enhanced execution of marketing techniques among others for the purpose of managing global innovation within its organisation and the similar industry (Apple Inc., 2012). This discussion will emphasize upon determining the practices, models and theoretical perspectives of technology policy and the management of technological innovation relating to Apple. Various aspects such as the interrelationship between the external environment on innovation and issues in international technological management associated with Apple will also be portrayed in the discussion. With regard to the practice and theoretical perspective of technology policy and the management of technological innovation, it has been viewed that Apple has utilised the strategy of continuous developing its R&D segment as well as employing advanced technologies in order to improve its competitiveness in the global market. In this similar context, the company adopted the motto of â€Å"Think Different† for providing innovative as well as unique products to its customers as a form of managing global innovation. It can be broadly affirmed that technology is regarded as one of

Contrast education (History of Education) Research Paper

Contrast education (History of Education) - Research Paper Example Massachusetts was the first state which implemented compulsory attendance laws in the educational sector. In 2004 their public expenditure for students per head was fifth in the country. They secured highest grade in the National Assessment of students as a mark of their progressive attitude towards education. As far as Middle East colonies in United States are concerned the education was the responsibility of church as well as the family to which the students belong. During that time the aim of education was to bring up children as god fearing individuals. The implementations of all educational schemes were focusing towards the religious matters. Education was only a tool to uplift the religion and its wild customs. It was from these educational institutions that the lifestyle of the people of Middle East states were got molded. As time passed the religion developed least interest on education and the system of public schooling has completely vanished from American colonies. Nowadays the government has proper control over all educational institutions in the states. Thus the history of education in old Massachusetts and Middle and Southern states have got some remarkable differences.

Research Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Research Project - Assignment Example By value, this constitutes about 76% and 63% by volume. There is a difference between the contribution of men and women to the skin care market. While women contribute 72% share by value, the men contribute 38% (PR Newswire 2013). Nonetheless, this is quite true, as women in the UK account for 50% of the UK population. In addition, it is a fact that in most parts of the world, women are the major users of beauty products. This is also the case in the United Kingdom. However, it is expected that in future, more men will use beauty products, as they focus more on their personal grooming and hygiene (Premium beauty news n.d). Therefore, it important to understand the different factors that influence the decision of consumers in the UK to purchase skin care products. The purpose of this research study is to explore the present environment of skin care industry in the UK. Special focus is on the loyalty of consumers, as well as their purchasing. The study will therefore, also assess the decisions of people in the UK to buy skin care products. In this case therefore, the study will explore various push factors, which influence people in the UK to buy skin care products. The scope of this research is limited to the study on the skin care market in the UK only. This involves the factors influencing the decision of people in the UK to purchase skin care products. Therefore, this study does not study the global market. For this reason, the findings of this study cannot be generalized to other skin care markets outside the UK. This is because the factors influencing the purchase of skin care products by consumers vary from country to country. The UK ranks as the third largest economy in Europe, as it comes after Germany and France (EUbusiness 2014). UK consists of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is served by London as the capital city. Overall, the UK has a population of approximately 61.7 million as

Human Resource issues at Amazon Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Human Resource issues at Amazon - Coursework Example Within the warehouses the houses a mix of 1600 full-time part-time and temporary workers. Most of the temporary workers are hired by the company before the holiday season and fired after that period. The task designed to most of the labours inside the warehouse is to pack boxes. The warehouse is located over an area of 600,000 square foot. Inside these warehouses, the workers are required to pack boxes at the rate of 240-250 boxes per hour if the size of the shipment is large and up to 500 boxes per hour are the size of the shipment is small. In comparison to other companies in the same industry, this rate is excessively high. Amazon, as it is found, sets the rates higher than can be performed by the employees. It is expected even by Amazon that people won’t be able to attain the high productivity rates for which there are paid between $9 and $14 an hour. The workers are expected to work for 10 hours a day for four days in a week. In the holiday season when the shopping spree of the customers increases Amazon recruits temporary workers who have to work for 11 hours per day for four days in a week along with the regular staffs. The overtime in the holiday period is mandatory for the workers. The workers are given a 30-minute lunch break for which they are not paid. In addition, they are given two paid breaks each of the duration of 15 minutes. During the break, every minute is counted and the workers have to take a break at the ring of the bell and have to be back at their work at the ring of another bell.

Culture Collision Essay Example for Free

Culture Collision Essay Culture collisions has been both positive negative to those involved such as Columbus and his run in with the Natives Americans, French revolution and the Haitian slaves, and African Imperialism. In any culture, subculture, or family in which belief is valued above thought, and self-surrender is valued above self-expression, and conformity is valued above integrity, those who preserve their self-esteem are likely to be heroic exception. In the culture collisions I learned about most was trying to change others culture and views on life in this eassy I will give more backgrand on the positive and negatives of the collisions of new worlds like Columbus and the new American, Haitia revolution, and Africans new way of life. I start my culture collision with a young sailer by the name of Christopher Columbus and his run in with the Native Americans. Columbus sailed for Spain but was from Itialy. Columbus search was for spices. He thought by sailing west across the Atlantic it would bring a ship to Eastern Asia. His plans made sense, but columbus greatly underestimated earths size, and had no idea that two continents lay in his path. Once columbus got to the new world he call the natives, Indiains thinking he was in Asia. As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island which I found, I took some of the natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts.(-christopher columbus 1492). After finding out that these people was not what they seem, Columbus and the Natives American made a treaty. The natives were good neighbood they tought Columbus how there lands works, and ways to serve the land. Columbus used this new found world to bring European, Americans, and African cultures together. Not only did he collied the culture he brought foods and animals. Even though the collision had good turn out there was a down fall of this collision with Columbus inhumain way of treating the Natives Americans. In two years, through murder, mutilation, or suicide, half of the 250,000 Indians on Haiti were dead.(-Zinn,). Columbus killed many of the Natives Americans after friending them. After they though him what he needed to know they was not use to him. Even though Columbus collied, the world at what cost was that to all the lifes he took. The next culture collisions was the revolution of Haiti and French,  starting with Napoleon against a free slave named Toussaint LOuverture. Haiti had heared to Enlightenment Thinkers talk of equal rights and thought that they should be intitled to the rights also. Napoleon started out as an Italian general and ended up being one of the greatest historical figures. First, Directors requested Napoleons support while organizing a coup detat. Then, Bonaparte fought Britain in order to benefit France. Lastly, he was called to help creating a new constitution and ended up as the First Consul of France. At home, he ruled using flattery, but also he strongly resisted the opposition. Napoleon is a pro-revolutionist because he denied all the privileges of the aristocracy, created a new constitution, and also established the Napoleonic Code.(-Brainard, 1998-2008)Neapoleon was one of the greatest generals who ever lived. But at the end of the 18th century a self-educated slave with no military training drove napoleon out of Haiti and led his country to indepenence. The remarkable leader of this slave revolt was Toussaint Breda (later called toussaint louverture, and sometimes the black napoleon). Slave revolts from this time normally ended in executions and failure, this time was different.(-Brainard,1998-2008). Toussaint become the leader of the slaves rebellion. He successfully fought the French who were helped by succumbing to yellow fever in large numbers as well as invading Spanish and British( who wanted to take down napoleon for the beheading of the king and queen). After the French Revolution was in the hands of Jacobins, who leaded the Reign of Terror. So Napoleon and LOuverture agree to terms of peace by giving them there indepenence. A few months later louverture was invited to come to a negotiating meeting will full safe conduct. When he got there napoleon betrayed the safe conduct and arrested him, putting him on a ship. Napoleon ordered that louverture be placed in a prison dungeon in the mountains, and murdered by means of cold, starvation, and neglect. Louverture died in prison,(-Brainard, 1998-2008)but others carried on his fight and six months later napoleon gave up his fight. This collisions allowed the indepenence of haiti. In africa, Europeons wanted the copper,ivory, gold, and diamonds the africans held in there mines. African’s used slavery as a part of their everyday life. When the Europeans arrived overseas in Africa they were  intrigued by this idea of slavery. They felt that the African people were used to the hot weather and long and hard working days. They thought of the blacks as inferior as well. They needed people to do their labor in the New World and were sent over in the African Slave Trade (Corretti,1500-1800). Slavery had a different meaning in the New World than it did in Europe. People were considered chattel in the New World. This means that one human was the property of another human. The Europeans needed to find people to keep up with the labor on the plantations in the new world (Corretti, 1500-1800).Europeons capitalists carved up the continents in order to ensure their wealth. Many english, french, and germans travelled to make africans chistian. Europeons inslaved these africans and spilt families apart. Africans resistance to the imperialism. Shaka Zulu led the Zulu people againist the Boers and Brithish. Brilliantly fought off troops for 30 years. In the end Britin control Southen Africa. Yaa Asantewaa led the Asante Kingdom against the British in West Africa. Last battle in series of 100 years of war between Asante and England. Menelik the second led Ethiopia against Europeon colonists. Hired Europeons to teach them how to read and use Europeons weapons. In 1896, Ethiopia smashed the Italians; Ethiopia was never colonized.(-malone,2012) Beside ethiopia, the African Imperialism was a negitive culture collision it had no effects on the world in my eyes just the europeon mading others do there durty work. In conclusion, culture collisions privde to be both positive and negitive. Not one collisions had one with out the other, Columbus didnt decover a New World but brought others together. But then again in his process of doing so he mistreated kind people and almost whiped out the native race. With the Haitian and French Revolution Napoleon ketp the haitain in slaved when he came to power. In the African Imperialism they inslave most of africa because of there industalition and need hard workers for little to no pay after the child labor laws. Well without any of these collisions we wouldnt be living in the kind of world we do now.

Ethics of Hydraulic Fracturing Essay Example for Free

Ethics of Hydraulic Fracturing Essay Large gas companies have been wreaking havoc on Midwestern United States. These companies’ practices of hydraulic fracturing have been very detrimental to the local populace. Hydraulic fracturing has been known to damage the environment through earthquakes and gas spills. In addition, it has been said that these companies have certain law exemptions that only they enjoy. These unsafe practices have contaminated local’s water supplies. There have even been cases where people have been able to light the water from their faucets on fire. Stricter government regulation should be enforced on these gas companies. Hydraulic Fracturing, or fracking, has recently (in the last ten years) been used extensively by gas companies (â€Å"The Facts About Fracking†). Fracking involves drilling down below shale formations (over a thousand feet) in the ground and pumping water, sand, and chemicals until the rock fractures. When the rock fractures it releases natural gas that can be collected at very inexpensive cost. The problem is that this can contaminate local water supplies, including lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, and ground water. The documentary Gasland stirred up interest in the American population to the effects of fracking. After being offered one hundred thousand dollars for his land from a gas company, the director Josh Fox traveled around America investigating the effects of fracking on the local rural populace. Josh Fox did an excellent job at exposing the gas industry for what it really is. The film won an Oscar nomination and has been praised by environmentalists nation-wide. One of the environmentally damaging effects of hydraulic fracturing is that it has been known to cause earthquakes. Reports of minor tremors of no greater than 2. 8 on the Richter scale were reported on June 2, 2009 in Cleburne, Texas, the first in the towns 140-year history† (Fox). On the other side of the argument, they claim â€Å"Given the ubiquity of fracking without seismic impact, the risks would seem to be remote† (â€Å"The Facts About Fracking†). This is irrelevant considering that earthquakes are happening where they otherwise would not have occurred. In addition to earthquakes, they also damage the environment by causing environmentally damaging oil spills. In the past two years alone, a series of surface spills, including two blowouts at wells operated by Chesapeake Energy and EOG Resources and a spill of 8000 gallons of fracking fluid at a site in Dimock, Pa. , have contaminated groundwater in the Marcellus Shale region. The amount of water required to drill all 2916 of the Marcellus wells permitted in Pennsylvania in the first 11 months of 2010 would equal the amount of drinking water used by just one city, Pittsburgh, during the same period, says environmental engineering professor Jeanne VanBriesen (qtd. n McGraw). Spills like these cause water contamination for the locals. In this case, a large portion of the spilled fracking fluid flowed into a nearby stream (McGraw). The level of contamination is still being investigated. These irresponsible and selfish practices must be regulated before irreversible collateral and environmental damage occurs. Gas companies have even been able to exploit certain loopholes in the law. An employee from the Environmental Protection Agency stated that the fracking industry enjoy certain legal exemptions from the Clean Water Act – courtesy of Dick Cheney (qtd. in Fox). The federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 contained a provision that has come to be known as the Halliburton Loophole, an exemption for gas drilling and extraction from requirements in the underground injection control (UIC) program of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Other exemptions are also present in the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act (Fox). This is an injustice to the local people whose water has been contaminated by these companies. If the government will not regulate these large companies, what will stop these large companies? Furthermore, chemicals contaminating the locals’ water supply have been shown to be a serious health risk. It is reported that â€Å"Last year the EPA found that some chemicals known to be used in fracturing were among the contaminants detected in 11 residential drinking water wells†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lustgarten). These chemicals have even been known to be carcinogenic (Lustgarten). Contaminated groundwater becomes a problem for locals when their cattle have to drink the contaminated water. There are even cases of sick animals where all their hair falls out (Fox). Many farmers worry about the welfare of their cattle’s health which is sometimes their only source of income (Fox). Landowners in shale gas drilling areas have reported foul smells in tap water, and toxic chemicals, such as benzene, have been detected in water from wells near drilling sites (Fox). In addition, there are cases of air pollution from the machinery from the drill sites (Fox). Many claim that the air pollution is the cause of a lot of cancer in the locals (Fox). In Dish, Texas, Mayor Calvin Tillman claimed that the fracking industry created carcinogenic pollution in his town (â€Å"The Facts About Fracking†). He then quit his job and left his hometown to protect his sons from this pollution (â€Å"The Facts About Fracking†). These unsafe practices can be very harmful to the local rural populace, and must be regulated. Scientific studies have shown that the drilling has caused local drinking water to be contaminated with methane. In fact, it has been shown that locals can light their water on fire. â€Å"â€Å"Our results show evidence for methane contamination of shallow drinking water systems in at least three areas of the region and suggest important environmental risks accompanying shale gas exploration worldwide. A scientific study has linked natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing with a pattern of drinking water contamination so severe that some faucets can be lit on fire. While most of the wells had some methane, the water samples taken closest to the gas wells had on average 17 times the levels detected in wells further from active drilling† (Lustgarten). This shows that their gas drilling in fact causes this contamination. The contamination can get so bad that it directly affects the local’s safety. There is a case that is being investigated where a large portion of a river is highly contaminated from seeping methane gas; it is so highly contaminated that all wildlife has died along a large portion of the river (Fox). Along the banks of the river are dead bodies of birds, squirrels, and other wildlife (Fox). One local even claims that her father died from drinking the water many years earlier (Fox). In Josh Fox’s documentary, it shows a clip of someone lighting seeping gas coming out of the ground on fire (Fox). â€Å"In several cases, homes blew up after gas seeped into their basements or water supplies. In Pennsylvania, a 2004 accident killed three people, including a baby† (Lustgarten). This irresponsible, disregard for basic human rights must be stopped. Large corporations that run free and unregulated will do whatever it takes for their own gain. The local rural populace has been very badly affected by the practices of hydraulic fracturing. It is clearly shown that these locals are not being heard and little is being done for compensation for the locals (Fox). These gas companies have too much freedom to operate and must be put to stricter government regulation. The question is not whether we should frack or not, but rather how do we regulate these practices to minimize the collateral and environmental damage.

Measures of Dispersion

Measures of Dispersion Summary The measure of central tendency, as discussed in the previous chapter tells us only about the characteristics of a particular series. They do not describe any thing on the observations or data entirely. In other wards, measures of central tendency do not tell any thing about the variations that exist in the data of a particular series. To make the concept, let discuss an example. It was found by using formula of mean that the average depth of a river is 6 feet. One cannot confidently enter into the river because in some places the depth may be 12 feet or it may have 3 feet. Thus this type of interpretation by using the measures of central tendency some times proves to be useless. Hence the measure of central tendency alone to measure the characteristics of a series of observations is not sufficient to draw a valid conclusion. With the central value one must know as to how the data is distributed. Different sets of data may have the same measures of central tendency but differ greatly in terms of variation. For this knowledge of central value is not enough to appreciate the nature of distribution of values. Thus there is the requirement of some additional measures along with the measures of central tendency which will describe the spread of the entire set of values along with the central value. One such measure is popularly called as dispersion or variation. The study of dispersion will enables us to know whether a series is homogeneous (where all the observations remains around the central value) or the observations is heterogeneous (there will be variations in the observations around the central value like 1, 50, 20, 28 etc., where the central value is 33). Hence it can be said that a measure of dispersion describes the spread or scattering of the individual values of a series around its central value. Experts opine different opinion on why the variations in a distribution are so important to consider? Following are some views on validity of the measure of dispersion: Measures of variation provide the researchers some additional information about the behaviour of the series along with the measures of central tendency. With this information one can judge the reliability of the value that is derived by using the measure of central tendency. If the data of the series are widely dispersed, the central location is less representatives of the data as a whole. On the other hand, when the data of a series is less dispersed, the central location is more representative to the entire series. In other wards, a high degree of variation would mean little uniformity whereas a low degree of variation would mean greater uniformity. When the data of a series are widely dispersed, it creates practical problems in executing data. Measure of dispersion helps in understanding and tackling the widely dispersed data. It facilitates to determine the nature and cause of variation in order to control the variation itself. Measures of variation enable comparison to be made of two or more series with regard to their variability. DEFINITION: Following are some definitions defined by different experts on measures of dispersion. L.R. Connor defines measures of dispersion as ‘dispersion is the measure extended to which individual items vary. Similarly, Brookes and Dick opines it as ‘dispersion or spread is the degree of the scatter or the variation of the variables about a central value. Robert H. Wessel defines it as ‘measures which indicate the spread of the values are called measures of dispersion. From all these definition it is clear that dispersion measures more or less describes the spread or scattering of the individual values of a series around its central value. METHODS OF MEASURING DISPERSION: Dispersion of a series of data can be calculated by using following four widely used methods Dispersion when measured on basis of the difference between two extreme values selected from a series of data. The two well known measures are The Range The Inter-quartile Range or Quartile Deviation Dispersion when measured on basis of average deviation from some measure of central tendency. The well known measures are The Mean/average deviation The Standard Deviation and The Coefficient of variation and The Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve All the tools are discussed in details below one after the other. THE RANGE: The range is the simplest measure of the dispersion. The range is defined as the difference between the highest value and the lowest value of the series. Range as a measure of variation is having limited applicability. It is widely used for weather forecasting by the meteorological departments. It also used in statistical quality control. Range is a good indicator to measure the fluctuations in price change like that of studying the variations in the price of shares and debentures and other related matters. Following is the procedure of calculating range: Range= value of the highest observation (H) – value of the lowest observation (L) or Range = H – L Advantages of Range: Range is the simplest of obtaining dispersion. It is easily understandable and can be interpreted easily. It requires fewer times to obtain the variation in the series. Disadvantages of Range: As it considers only two extreme values, hence it doesnt include all the observations of the series. It fails to tell any thing about the characteristics of a distribution It is having very limited scope of applicability Having no mathematical treatment THE INTER-QUARTILE RANGE OR QUARTILE DEVIATION: A second measure of dispersion is the inter-quartile range which takes into account the middle half i.e., 50% of the data thus, avoiding the problem of extreme values in the data. Hence it measures approximately how far from the median one must go on either side before it can be include one-half the values of the data set. Inter-quartile range can be calculated by dividing the series of observations into four parts; each part of the series contains 25 percent of the observations. The quartiles are then the highest values in each of these four parts, and the inter-quartile range is the difference between the values of the first and the third quartile. Following are the steps of calculating the inter-quartile range: Arrange the data of the series in ascending order. Calculate the first quartile which is denoted as (Q1) by using the formula In case of grouped data the first quartile (Q1) can be calculated by using the formula Where N= number of observations in the series i.e., the sum of frequencies, L = lower limit of the quartile class, p.c.f. = commutative frequency prior to the quartile class, f = frequency of the quartile class and i = class interval. Quartile class can be determined by using the formula. Calculate the third quartile which is denoted as (Q3) by using the formula in case of ungrouped data. In case of grouped data the third quartile (Q3) can be calculated by using the formula Where N= number of observations in the series i.e., the sum of frequencies, L = lower limit of the quartile class, p.c.f. = commutative frequency prior to the quartile class, f = frequency of the quartile class and i = class interval. Quartile class can be determined by using the formula. THE MEAN/AVERAGE DEVIATION: Mean/average deviation is the arithmetic mean of the difference of a series computed from any measure of central tendency i.e., either deviation from mean or median or mode. The absolute values of each observation are calculated. Clark and Schekade opine mean deviation or average deviations as the average amount of scatter of the items in a distribution from either the mean or the median, ignoring the signs of the deviations. Thus the average that is taken of scatter is an arithmetic mean, which accounts for the fact that this measure is often called as mean deviation or average deviations. Calculations of Mean Deviation in case of Discrete Series: In case of discrete series, mean deviation can be calculated through following steps The first step is to calculate the mean or median or mode of the given series Compute the deviations of the observations of the series from the calculated mean or median or mode. This deviation is also denoted as capital letter D and is always taken as mod value i.e., ignoring the plus or minus sign. Take the summation of the deviations (sum of D) and divide it by number of observations (N). In the same way one can calculate mean deviation from median or mode in case of individual series. Calculations of Mean Deviation in case of discrete series: Mean deviation can be calculated in case of discrete series in a little bit different way. Following are some steps to calculate the average mean when the series is discrete. The first step is to calculate the mean or median or mode of the given series by using the formula as discussed in the previous chapter. Compute the deviations of the observations of the series from the calculated mean or median or mode value. This deviation is also denoted as capital letter D and is always taken as mod value i.e., ignoring the plus or minus sign. Multiply the corresponding frequency with each deviation value i.e., calculate f * D. Similarly, one can calculate the mean deviation or average deviation by taking deviations from median or mode. Calculations of Mean Deviation in case of continuous series: The first step is to calculate the mean or median or mode of the given series by using the formula as discussed in the previous chapter. In the second step, get the mid values of the observations (m) Compute the deviations of the observations of the series from the calculated mean or median or mode value. This deviation is also denoted as capital letter D = m mean or median or mode and is always taken as mod value i.e., ignoring the plus or minus sign. Multiply the corresponding frequency with each deviation value i.e., calculate f * D. Take the summation i.e., (sum of D) and divide it by number of observations (N). The formula may be Advantages of mean deviation: The computation process of mean deviation is based on all the observations of the series. The value of mean deviation is less affected by the extreme items. These are three alternatives available with the researcher while calculating the mean. One can consider the mean or median or mode. Hence it is more flexible in calculation. Disadvantages of mean deviation: The practical usefulness of mean deviation is very less. Mean deviation is not having enough scope for further mathematical calculations. Mod values are considered while calculating the mean deviation. It is criticized by some experts as illogical and unsound. THE STANDARD DEVIATION: Standard deviation or other wise called as root mean square deviation is the most important and widely used measure of variation. It measures the absolute variation of a distribution. It is the right measure that highlights the spread of the observation over and around the mean value. The greater the rate of variation of observations in a series, the greater will be the value of standard deviation. A small value of standard deviation implies a high degree of homogeneity among the observations in the series. If there will be a comparison between two or more standard deviations of two or more series, than it is always advisable to choose that series as ideal one which is having small value of standard deviation. Standard deviation is always measures from the mean or average value of the series. The credit for introducing this concept in the literature goes to Karl Pearson, a famous statistician. It is denoted by the Greek letter (pronounced as sigma) Standard deviation is calculated in following three different series: Standard deviation in case of Individual series Standard deviation in case of Discrete series Standard deviation in case of Continuous series All the above conditions are discussed in detail below. a. Standard deviation in case of individual series: In case of individual series, the value of standard deviation can be calculated by using two methods. Direct method- when deviations are taken from actual mean Short-cut method- when deviations are taken from assumed mean 1. Direct method- when deviations are taken from actual mean: Following are some steps to be followed for calculating the value of standard deviation. The first step is to calculate the actual mean value of the observation In the next column calculate the deviation from each observation i.e., find out () where is the mean of the series. In the next column calculate the square value of the deviations and at the end of the column calculate the sum of the square of the deviations i.e., Divide the total value with the number of observations (N) and than square root of the value. The formula will be . Since the series is having individual observations, some times it so happens that there is no need of taking the deviations. In such a case the researcher can directly calculate the value of the standard deviation. The formula for calculating directly is . 2. Short-cut method- when deviations are taken from assumed mean: In practical uses it so happens that while calculating standard deviation by using the arithmetic mean, the mean value may be in some fractions i.e., .25 etc. This creates the real problem in calculating the value of standard deviation. For this purpose, instead of calculating standard deviation by using the above discussed arithmetic mean methods, researchers generally prefer the method of short-cut which is nothing rather calculation of standard deviation by assuming a mean value. Following are some steps that to be followed for calculating standard deviation in case of assumed mean method: The first step is to assume a value from the X values as mean. This mean value is denoted as A. In the next step deviations are to be calculated from this assumed mean as (X-A) and this value is denoted as D. At the end of the same column, the sum of D () is to be calculated. Calculate the square of each observation of D i.e., calculate. The following formula is to be used to calculate standard deviation of the series. where N is the number of observations in the series. b. Standard deviation in case of discrete series: Discrete series are the series which are having some frequencies or repetitions of observations. In case of a discrete series standard deviation is calculated by using following three methods: when deviations are taken from actual mean when deviations are taken from assumed mean Following are the detailed analysis of the above the two methods. 1. When deviations are taken from actual mean: The steps to calculate standard deviation when deviations are calculated from the actual mean are The first step is to calculate the actual mean value of the observation In the next column calculate the deviation from each observation i.e., find out () where is the mean of the series, this can be denoted as D. In the next column calculate the square value of the deviations and at the end of the column calculate the sum of the square of the deviations i.e., Multiply corresponding frequencies of each observation with the value of D2 in the next column. Divide the total value with the number of observations (N) and than square root of the value. The formula will be 2. When deviations are taken from assumed mean: The steps to calculate standard deviation when deviations are calculated from the actual mean are The first step is to assume a mean value from the observations In the next column calculate the deviation from each observation i.e., find out () where A is the mean of the series, this deviation can be denoted as D. In the next column calculate the square value of the deviations and at the end of the column calculate the sum of the square of the deviations i.e., Multiply corresponding frequencies (f) of each observation with the value of D2 in the next column. Use the following formula to calculate standard deviation c. Standard deviation in case of Continuous series: Standard deviation in case of a continuous series can be calculated by using the following steps Calculate the mid value of the series and denote it as ‘m. Assume any value from the mid values and denote it as A Deviations can be calculated from each series i.e., calculate m – A and than divide it with the class interval value (i) i.e., Multiply the corresponding frequencies of each observation with the deviation value and take the sum at the end of the column i.e., calculate In the next column square the deviation values of each observation i.e., calculate Multiply the value of with its frequencies i.e., calculate Use the following formula to get standard deviation. Properties of standard deviation: As tool of variance, standard deviation is used as a good measure of interpretation of the scatteredness of observation of a series. It is a fact that in a normal distribution approximately 68 per cent of the observations of a series lies less than standard deviation away from the mean, again approximately 95.5 per cent of the items lie less than 2 standard deviation value away from the mean and in the same way 99.7 per cent of the items lie within 3 standard deviations away from the mean. Hence covers 68.27 per cent of the items in a series with normal distribution. covers 95.45 per cent of the items in a series with normal distribution and covers 99.73 per cent of the items in a series with normal distribution. Advantage of Standard Deviation: Following are some advantages of standard deviation as a measure of dispersion This is the highest used technique of dispersion. It is regarded as a very satisfactory measure of the dispersion of a series. It is capable of further mathematical calculations. Algebraic signs are not ignored while measuring the value of standard deviation of a series. It is less affected by the extreme observations of a series. The coefficients make the standard deviation very popular measure of the scatteredness of a series. Disadvantages of standard deviation: The disadvantages are It is not easy to understand the concept easily and quickly. It requires a good exercise to calculate the values of standard deviation. It gives more weight to observations which are away from the arithmetic mean. THE COEFFICIENT OF VARIATION: Another useful statistical tool for measuring dispersion of a series is coefficient of variation. The coefficient of variation is the relative measure of standard deviation which is an absolute measure of dispersion. This tool of dispersion is mostly used in case of comparing the variability two or more series of observation. While comparing, that series for which the value of the coefficient of variation is greater is said to be more variable (i.e., the observations of the series are less consistent, less uniform, less stable or less homogeneous). Hence it is always advisable to choose that series which is having less value of coefficient of variation. The value of coefficient is less implies more consistent, more uniform, more stable and of course more homogeneous. The value of coefficient of variation is always measured by using the value of standard deviation and its relative arithmetic mean. It is denoted as C.V., and is measured by using simple formula as discussed below: In practical field, researchers generally prefer to use standard deviation as a tool to measure the dispersion than that of coefficient of variance because of a numbers of reasons (researchers are advised to refer any standard statistics book to know more on coefficient of variance and its usefulness). GINI COEFFICIENT AND THE LORENZ CURVE: An illuminating manner of viewing the Gini coefficient is in terms of the Lorenz curve due to Lorenz (1905). It is generally defined on the basis of the Lorenz curve. It is popularly known as the Lorenz ratio. The most common definition of the Gini coefficient is in terms of the Lorenz diagram is the ratio of the area between the Lorenz curve and the line of equality, to the area of the triangle OBD below this line (figure-1). The Gini coefficient varies between the limits of 0 (perfect equality) and 1 (perfect inequality), and the greater the departure of the Lorenz curve from the diagonal, the larger is the value of the Gini coefficient. Various geometrical definitions of Gini coefficient discussed in the literature and useful for different purposes are examined here. CONCLUSIONS: The study of dispersion will enables us to know whether a series is homogeneous (where all the observations remains around the central value) or the observations is heterogeneous (there will be variations in the observations around the central value Hence it can be said that a measure of dispersion describes the spread or scattering of the individual values of a series around its central value. For this there are a numbers of methods to determine the variations as discussed in this chapter. But it is always confusing among the researchers that which method is the best among the different techniques that we have discussed? The answer to this question is very simple and says that no single average can be considered as best for all types of data series. The most important factors are the type of data available and the purpose of investigation. Critiques suggest that if a series is having more extreme values than standard deviation as technique is to be avoided. On the other hand in case of more skewed observations standard deviation may be used but mean deviation needs to be avoided where as if the series is having more gaps between two observations than quartile deviation is not an appropriate measure to be used. Similarly, standard deviation is the best technique for any purpose of data. SUMMARY: The study of dispersion will enables us to know whether a series is homogeneous (where all the observations remains around the central value) or the observations is heterogeneous (there will be variations in the observations around the central value). Dispersion when measured on basis of the difference between two extreme values selected from a series of data. The two well known measures are (i) The Range and (ii) The Inter-quartile Range. Dispersion when measured on basis of average deviation from some measure of central tendency. The well known measures are (i) The Mean/average deviation, (ii) The Standard Deviation, (iii) The Coefficient of variation and (iv) The Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve The range is defined as the difference between the highest value and the lowest value of the series. Range as a measure of variation is having limited applicability. The inter-quartile range measures approximately how far from the median one must go on either side before it can be include one-half the values of the data set. Mean/average deviation is the arithmetic mean of the difference of a series computed from any measure of central tendency i.e., either deviation from mean or median or mode. The absolute values of each observation are calculated. A small value of standard deviation implies a high degree of homogeneity among the observations in the series. If there will be a comparison between two or more standard deviations of two or more series, than it is always advisable to choose that series as ideal one which is having small value of standard deviation. Standard deviation is always measures from the mean or average value of the series. The coefficient of variation is the relative measure of standard deviation which is an absolute measure of dispersion. This tool of dispersion is mostly used in case of comparing the variability two or more series of observation. The most common definition of the Gini coefficient is in terms of the Lorenz diagram is the ratio of the area between the Lorenz curve and the line of equality, to the area of the triangle below the equality line. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: 1. Age of ten students in a class is considered. Find the mean and standard deviation. 19, 21, 20, 20, 23, 25, 24, 25, 22, 26 The following table derives the marks obtained in Statistics paper by 100 students in a class. Calculate the standard deviation and mean deviation. The monthly profits of 150 shop keepers selling different commodities in a city footpath is derived below. Calculate the mean, mean deviation and standard of the distribution. The daily wage of 160 labourers working in a cotton mill in Surat cith is derived below. Calculate the range, mean deviation and standard of the distribution. Calculate the mean deviation and standard deviation of the following distribution. What do you mean by measure of dispersion? How far it helpful to a decision-maker in the process of decision making? Define measure of Dispersion? Among the various tools of dispersion which tool according to you is the best one, give suitable reason of your answer. What do you mean by measure of dispersion? Compare and contrast various tools of dispersion by pointing out their advantages and disadvantages. Discuss with example the relative merits of range, mean deviation and standard deviation as measures of dispersion. Define standard deviation? Why standard deviation is more useful than other measures of dispersion? The data derived below shows the ages of 100 students pursuing their master degree in economics. Calculate the Mean deviation and standard deviation. Following is the results of a study carried out to determine the number of mileage the marketing executives drove their cars over a 1-year period. For this 50 marketing executives are sampled. Based on the findings, calculate the range and inter-quartile range. In an enquiry of the number of days 230 patients chosen randomly stayed in a Government hospital following after operation. On the basics of observation calculate the standard deviation. Cars sold in small car segment in November 2009 at 10 Maruti Suzuki dealers in Delhi city is explained below. Compute the range, mean deviation and standard deviation of the data series. Following is the daily data on the number of persons entered through main gate in a month to institute. Calculate the range and standard deviation of the series. Calculate the range and coefficient of range of a group of students from the marks obtained in two papers as derived below: Following are marks obtained by some students in a class-test. Calculate the range and coefficient of range. By using the direct and indirect method, calculate the mean deviation by using both arithmetic mean and mode from the following data set which is related to age and numbers of residents of Vasundara apartment, Gaziabad. A local geezer manufacturer at Greater Noida has developed a new and chief variety of geezers which are meant of lower and middle income households. He carried out a survey in some apartments asking the expectations of the customers that they are ready to invest on purchase of geezer. Calculate the standard deviation of the series. Calculate median of the following distribution. From the median value calculate the mean deviation and coefficient of mean deviation. Calculate median of the following distribution. From the median value calculate the mean deviation and coefficient of mean deviation. Calculate the arithmetic average and standard deviation from the following daily data of rickshaw puller of Hyderabad City. From the students of 250 candidates the mean and standard deviations of their total marks were calculated as 60 and 17. Latter in the process of verification it is found that a score 46 was misread 64. Recalculate the correct mean and standard deviation. The wage structure paid on daily basis of two cotton factories are derived below. In order to show the inequality, draw the Lorenz curve. Total marks obtained by the students in two sections are derived below. By using the data draw a Lorenz curve. Draw the Lorenz curve of the following data. Find the range and co-efficient of range for the following data set. The height of 10 firemen working in a fire station are 165, 168, 172, 174, 175, 178, 156, 158, 160, 179 cms. Calculate the range of the series. Now let that the tallest and the shortest firemen are get transformed from the fire station. Calculate the range of the new firemen. What percentage change is found in the earlier range and the latter range? Calculate the quartile deviation from the following derived data. Calculate the interquartile range, quartile deviation and its coefficient for the following data series. Calculate the mean deviation from the following data. Calculate the mean deviation from median and mean for the following series. The distribution derived below reveals the difference in age between husband and wife in a community. Based on the data, calculate mean deviation and standard deviation. Calculate th

Catalysts of the Industrial Revolution Essay -- essays research papers

The Industrial Revolution was the major advancement of technology in the late 18th and early 19th century that began in Britain and spread to America.The national and federal government helped the United States grow into a self reliant nation with improvements in transportation, technology, manufacturing and the growth of the population. American had an economy based on manual labour which was replaced by one dominated by industry and the manufacture of machinery. It began with the expansion of the textile industries and the development of iron-making techniques, and trade expansion was enabled by the introduction of canals, improved roads and railways. Of one of the first to kick off, was the textile industry. Which helped Americna manufactoring. Hundreds of young women from farms were sent to mill towns to work in textile factories. In Document C, Farm familys strive to get their daughters into mills to help support the family and the farm. As manufactoring grew, transportation was key in connecting cities for trade. The rapid growth and development of the United States would ...

Greek Life Under Attack :: essays papers

Greek Life Under Attack According to an article written by Jay Reeves, administrators at the University of Alabama are getting involved in integrating sororities and fraternities by imposing rules and punishments for those organizations that do not comply. Since the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960?s, Americans like to think that segregation does not exist in the United States. However, sororities and fraternities across the country are being viewed as segregated. Many people in society feel that it is the administrators job to enforce integration among fraternities and sororities, but others feel that it should be up to the students to integrate themselves and that the faculty should stop interfering. Many of those who feel that integration should be left untouched by the administrations of the school know that historically Greek organizations have been segregated. For almost a century the groups have remained segregated naturally, or by choice. Since this has never been an issue before administrators should not even bother to integrate sororities and fraternities. Furthermore, what happens of no members of the opposite race want to join a traditional race oriented frat or sorority? How can administrators justify punishing Greek organizations if members of the opposite race truly have no interest in joining? However, over the years this segregation has blindly detained people from limited backgrounds to be able to engage themselves with people of other backgrounds. This is the case for the family in Rodriguez?s ?Aria.? The family?s background limits them to having interactions with people of other backgrounds. Rodriguez says, ?it never occurred to my parents that they couldn?t live wherever they chose?despite their accomplishments the confidence of ?belonging? in public was withheld from them? (658). Richard cannot interact with the other children at first because his background uses a different language, which prohibits this interaction. These examples show that segregation causes barriers to be built, and once constructed are very hard to overcome if interaction takes place at a later time. Forcing integration reverses this problem by giving a chance for various backgrounds to interact with each other. This forced integration can also bring many more options to those students who are interested in joining a sorority or fraternity thus increasing the overall memberships of the Greek community.

Mans Search For Meaning Essay -- Nazi Jews Holocaust

In Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl describes his revolutionary type of psychotherapy. He calls this therapy, logotherapy, from the Greek word "logos", which denotes meaning. This is centered on man's primary motivation of his search for meaning. To Frankl, finding meaning in life is a stronger force than any subconscious drive. He draws from his own experiences in a Nazi concentration camp to create and support this philosophy of man's existence. Frankl endured much suffering during his time in the concentration camp. All of his possessions were taken away, including his manuscript in which he recorded all of his life's work. He went through rough manual labor, marching through freezing temperatures, and little or no food. To add to this, he didn't even know if his wife was alive or if she had been killed when they were separated. However, throughout all this, Frankl was able to keep his hopes alive, and still care for his fellow man. This is due to his philosophy of person. He figured that the key to surviving in those horrible conditions was to find a meaning in his life. Once there is a meaning to live for, there will be a will to live. Finding a meaning in life is the most important thing according to Frankl. This is the core of his philosophy, and claims that it is the core of human existence. In his view, anything can attribute to be something to live for. Love is perhaps the strongest motivation, but even someone can even find fulfillment in his profession. According to logotherapy, we can find meaning in three ways. Man can either create a work or do a good deed, experience something or encountering someone, or by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering can we discover a meaning in... ...m he loves or without something he feels is important to find meaning. It is also going to be difficult for this person not to consider suicide, even though Frankl believes it should never be an option. Personally I agree with most of Viktor Frankl's ideas and philosophy. It is important for a person to find a meaning in his life. Frankl's philosophy is more human and more personal than other psychiatrists' philosophies. The human person can not be motivated just on unconscious drives. Humans are much deeper beings and need aspects of life such as a sense of purpose, love, and human contact. I also agree that suicide should never be an alternative to life, except if sacrificing your life for a greater cause. Viktor Frankl's ideas are more realistic to human nature, and give a sense of optimism to the reader who can hopefully find meaning in their own lives.

People do not treat others as equals Essay

There is a problem with the way the world works right now. People do not treat others as equals. Regardless of race, age, creed, color, or sex, people have found a way to escape from treating humans with common decency. As we walk through our lives, we are disrespected at least once a day, and probably more than that. We are brought up in a world where winners are just that, they are winners, and because they win, we are supposed to revere and envy them. We are in constant competition, rarely is anything settled without a clear winner, and this is how we live. We are the true essence of a Dominator Model in this sense. But we do not draw the line there. We can extend it out to personal relationships to. The line can be extrapolated because we, an editorial â€Å"we† mind you, treat our personal relationships in much the same manner. Arguments rarely end in compromise, and when it does it is not what comes naturally. So this is the life we have set up and in order to shift the paradigm we must first discover what is wrong and move on. We must attack the issues that keep us closer to Cro-Magnon man than evolved individuals. And that is what my intention is for today’s radio program. One of the main concerns when talking about compromise is the fact that things end without one being over another; we are talking about ending things, in dominator language, in a tie. But we cannot look at this as being bad; we must look at this as being a win. This is what we are talking about, a complete paradigm shift which lends no glory to the dominator, or androcratic society. One of the keys to making this shift occur is to first recognize what is on the other side of the androcratic model, which is the partnership or Gylanic model. The Gylanic model is based on the idea of mutual well being, and for a society such as ours that has always pleasured male over female, straight over gay, etc this is a hard concept for us to grasp. Tearing these historical walls that have been built for us is the birth of a new paradigm. And there are many ways to get to this idea, I will focus on a few that will get us started, and hopefully it will snowball, over a period of time of course, but hopefully it will pick up steam and lead us into a society that places emphasis on every individual who resides in the realm of partnership. Effective listening: This is one of the main concerns when shifting from androcratic to Gylanic models. Over time our conversational skills have excelled while or listening skills have fallen by the way side. We have seen great leaders, and great icons of pop-culture speak without listening, and it is not just something that the trained specimen can see, it is painfully obvious. In order to start us on our way this is the first baby step that must be taken. Emphasis needs to, once again, be placed on communication. Interruptions are just that, they interrupt that which somebody is trying to say, so we must understand that cutting somebody off from speaking is a facet of the Dominator Model. Listen to those that you speak with, and let them know that you are listening. Showing that you are listening is not the most difficult of tasks, it is quite simple really. Here are some things that one can do to show that he/she is listening: eye contact, a simple nodding of the head when it is appropriate, not interrupting, are just a few things that could improve a conversation dramatically. It is amazing what you hear when you actually listen without having to speak at the same time. Too, this helps to create a comfortable environment, in which exchange is welcome. After a conversation and this is the true test, tell the person that you are speaking with what you just heard them say. It may be difficult at first, to be able to listen and not speak, and then to be able to reiterate what you had just heard, but it helps to strengthen a relationship. â€Å"True Listening, total concentration on the other, is always a manifestation of love. An essential part of true listening is the discipline of bracketing, the temporary giving up or setting of one’s own prejudges, frames of references and desires so as to experience as far as possible the speaker’s world from the inside, stepping inside his or her shoes. This unification of speaker and listener is actually an extension and enlargement of ourselves and new knowledge is always gained from this. Moreover since true listening involves bracketing, a setting aside of self, it also temporarily involves a total acceptance of the other.† – A Road Less Traveled Scott, Peck [emphasis mine] Now we will be moving listening, from just an aspect of everyday life, to the inclusion within interpersonal relationships. This is obviously a necessity in relationships, as is so stated by Peck, but true listening is not asking anything that is â€Å"easy†. It is work. In many relationships one party is always subverted under another party, and for this reason a successful relationship is hard to find. We must not think along the lines of mimesis either, because to find power through ones subversion of power, is once again striding to find a winner. We must drop the idea of â€Å"the last word† or the idea that there must be a â€Å"winner.† Arguments can be settled within the parameters of effective communication. As Peck says it is an act of love, listening is an act of true love, and with the absence of true listening, true love in turn takes on another meaning. We are talking about moving from north to south here; we must learn that compromise is winning, and that there is not a single winner and a single loser. Listening is part of communicating, and in order to be successful, as is with anything else, we must be able to communicate. In summation being able to listen effectively is the first step in the long line of steps of communication, which must be taken in effort to escape the life of the Androcratic model. I know that Rome was not built in a day, and that I am not going to change our society in one conversation about how to change, but I do want to focus on one aspect that will start us on the path of partnership, and that aspect I am focusing on is the aspect of communication. So I will not get into â€Å"bedroom† subject matter. The next aspect of communication that is important is called leveling. Virginia Satir says, â€Å"What the leveling response does is make it possible for you to live as a whole person †¦ real, in touch with your head, your heart, your feelings, and your body.† Leveling is a system in which we speak our minds but not at anybody’s expense. We speak without thinking that we might make a mistake, or we might be criticized, or impose on somebody. All leveling is is â€Å"responding to real people in real situations that permit you to agree because you really do† (Satir, Virginia). She uses The Matrix as one example. In the Matrix people are hungry for the directness that is offered by Morpheus, but not many are willing to except it. It is the reality that is stated through our own constructed reality. The â€Å"I† statement is the best way to begin the leveling process. I feel . . . . (an emotion or feeling, not a belief) Because . . . . (feelings come out of YOU and your various Experiences in your life; explain the basis of your feelings rather than blaming or â€Å"psychologizing† the other person or yourself) And What I’d To do or see Happen now is . .(how both of you can take into account one another’s needs, and work toward an acceptable solution for/with each other) It is the idea of taking responsibility rather than placing blame. It is very effective. The final idea that I will discuss today is the idea of being a mindful learning. We are students of life, we are constantly learning based on what occurs in our lives. We must actually learn what we go through though. We must take the time and be energized in our lives in order to learn from mistakes that we have made, and hold on to the things that we do well. I suggest that we mindfully improve the way we learn so that we can create our own understanding of the process that will help live our quality of life. Become interested in your own live and it will create interest in others. Focus on the other person and listen to his/her stories and life experiences and communicate in an effective manner that will allow for a steady relationship.

Old Testament

How is this relationship made clear? A. Heehaw is Davit's leader, protector and provider. David describes Heehaw as the Sheppard that leads him through the storms of life. In the beginning of the passage, the author speaks of how he does not want this shepherd, I believe this is due to the author not feeling worthy of the shepherd and all he provides, which makes the relationship so beautiful because it illustrates complete love and trust Just like a sheep following his shepherd.The author illustrates how the staff of His shepherd comforts him through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. The author fears nothing because he know he is looked after and well cared for. The language throughout the entire passage speaks of a sheep to his shepherd, this theme can been seen through all of the Old Testament because the People of God lived a life led by Heehaw. David was known as a man after God's own heart showing how close David was to Heehaw Just as a sheep Is very close to Its shepherd. Ide ntify several themes that run through this Incredible short story of Joseph consider loyalty, family, envy, compassion, work). . Joseph shows deep compassion to his brothers even when his brothers wanted to kill him. Joseph was second in command In Egypt and could have easily turned his brothers away leaving them to die, but instead he decided to love them and help them through the famine. Envy Is the basis for how Josephs brothers behaved. It started with them envying Joseph because he was his father's favorite. Then they were envious of his coat of many colors, and finally they were envious and offended y the dreams Joseph experienced.This new drove them to sell their brother Into slavery, which leads to another theme, diligence. Joseph showed diligence and devotion to God. Even when he was thrown In Jail and framed for things he did not do, he still diligently sought God and followed his commandments. HIS diligence eventually paid off and he was given high honors and responsibili ties. Discuss Joseph as both visionary and man of action. What does he value? How does he rise? What Insights Into human nature and the nature of faith and trust In God are revealed?

Altruistic Surrogacy Arrangements Essay

Couples around the world find out that they’re unable to conceive children. This is a very heart breaking and detrimental situation in anyones life who is trying to have a child. Infertility affects more than 7 million people in the United States, and about 12 percent of women of childbearing age are considered infertile. Most infertility cases are treated with drug or hormone therapies or surgery. However, about 3 percent of cases require more advanced techniques, such as surrogacy. A surrogate is a woman who carries a child for an individual or a couple. Stories of surrogacy reach back to the Bible with the story of Abraham, his wife, Sarah, and her handmaiden, Hagar. In this story, Sarah finds she is unable to conceive and arranges for Abraham to impregnate Hagar, who goes on to conceive Ishmael. There are two types of surrogacy options, one is traditional surrogacy and the other is gestational surrogacy. A traditional surrogate is a woman who donates her own egg and then carries the pregnancy. The surrogate’s egg is fertilized through artificial insemination with the sperm of the father or a sperm donor. Traditional surrogates are genetically related to the child because their own eggs are used in the process. A gestational surrogate or also known as a gestational carrier, are not biologically or genetically related to the child she carries. Gestational carriers become pregnant through the process of in vitro fertilization, where an embryo or embryos created from the eggs and sperm of the intended parents. Donor eggs and donor sperm are selected by the intended parents are implanted in the uterus for the gestational period of 40 weeks. Intended parents and surrogates have to consider what type of surrogacy arrangement they feel like they are comfortable with. There are two common types of arrangements pertaining to surrogacy, which are commercial and altruistic. In commercial surrogacy the surrogate is paid for her time and effort, any travel involved and related medical expenses not covered by insurance. The chosen surrogate and the intended parents usually don’t know each other before the arrangement. In altruistic surrogacy arrangements, the carrier sees no financial gain, and the arrangements are commonly made with relatives or friends of the intended parents. Surrogacy is against the Church’s teaching, they teach that techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization) infringe the child’s right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses’ â€Å"right to become a father and a mother only through each other (Catechism). † The use of a surrogate mother is a process that is thousands of years old. This is proven in the writings of the Bible in the story of Abraham and his wife Sarah, she was infertile. At this time in the earth’s history, a woman who was childless was often at times shamed by her family and friends. These women would offer their servants to act as a surrogate. The Bible does not specifically forbid the process of surrogacy. The question that you must ask is, whether it is considered to be moral or ethical with keeping children conceived out of love, born from a married couple. The Bible has also been interpreted as stating that children are a gift, not a right. Therefore, God will bless some people with children and others not. Personally I believe surrogacy is an â€Å"okay† practice. Surrogacy ultimately brings joy to the couple and why would god not want us to seek happiness. Surrogacy may seem to be defying God’s will but I think it’s a way of making a precious life out of a bad situation. Being told you will not be able to have your own children is a heart breaking situation. You would never know how it felt until you experience yourself. What gives us the right to judge someone else for wanting a child from their own DNA. If Surrogacy can use one embryo and not kill of the others I think it should be allowed in the church.

Evangelism and Business Essay

A business is bounded with many obstacles just like experienced in act of making disciples. The commission of Jesus to the Christians to go make the disciples of all nations is like an entrepreneur who dares to venture into a new business. God is like a cook when it comes to making of disciples. The world is God’s kitchen where He does the preparation. This task comes with a lot of risks and challenges such as opposition, persecution and rejection. To begin with, just like in the task of making the disciples, a business venture experiences tough times; time of slow growth or even close down. The times when the church experienced persecution compares to the time when a business is experiencing heavy loses. If the loses become so big the business owner would even think of closing down. Just like the persecution that was experienced by the church in the early years of Christianity that seemed as though they were aimed at completely facing out the church. Endurance is expected during all these tough times. As the bible puts it â€Å"fix our eyes on Jesus† and â€Å"run with endurance the race that is set before us† (Hebrews 12: 1-2), it therefore requires a business owner to hold on despite the tough times. A business owner needs the motivation to help him/her move on. This can be derived from teachings of Paul to the Philippines saying, â€Å"[We] can do all things through Christ who strengthens [us]. (Phil 4:13). Times of smooth and flawless growth always come despite all odds. In business, this is the time when one experiences no hitches. Its time when one reaps good profits from his ventures and all goes well; the business expands and returns are high. This compares to the time when the church experiences no obstacles and is growing like the raging fire. These are times when evangelism does not seem challenging and men are fired up, ready to go to any corner of the world to spread the gospel to everyone (acts 21:8). Just like the way a business owner delights in the achievements growth, God too delights when one earnestly spreads His messages in evangelism. Jesus puts it to the disciples that He delights and rejoices with them in their pursuit for his word (Philippians 12:17-18). Reference Holy Bible, New International Version, (1984). International Bible Society

The Return: Midnight Chapter 36

Matt broke a lot of traffic rules on the way to the Saitous'street. Meredith leaned on the console between the two front seats so that she could see the digital clock ticking down to midnight, and so that she could watch the transformation of Mrs. Flowers. At last her recently sane, sensible mind forced words out of her mouth. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers – you're changing.† â€Å"Yes, Meredith, dear. Some of it is due to the little present that Sage left for me. Some of it is my own wil – to return to the days when I was in my prime. I believe that this wil be my last fight, so I don't mind using al my energy in it. Fel ‘s Church must be saved.† â€Å"But – Mrs. Flowers – the people here – Well, they haven't always been – exactly nice – â€Å"Matt stammered his way to a stop. â€Å"The people here are like people everywhere,†Mrs. Flowers said calmly. â€Å"Treat them as you'd like to be treated, and things wil be fine. It was only when I'd let myself become a bitter, lonely old woman, always resentful of the fact that I had had to turn my home into a boardinghouse just to make ends meet, that people began to treat me – Well, at best as a loony old hag.† â€Å"Oh, Mrs. Flowers – and we've been such a bother to you!†Meredith found the words coming without her volition. â€Å"You've been the saving of me, child. Dear Stefan was the start, but as you can imagine, he didn't want to explain al his little differences to me, and I was suspicious of him. But he was always cordial and respectful and Elena was like sunlight, and Bonnie like laughter. Eventual y, when I dropped my hidebound barriers, so did you young ones. I won't say more about those who are present so as not to embarrass you, but you've done me a world of good.† Matt ran another stop sign and cleared his throat. Then, the steering wheel wavering slightly, he cleared his throat again. Meredith took over. â€Å"I think what Matt and I both want to say is†¦Well, it's that you've become very special to us, and we don't want to see you get hurt. This battle – â€Å" â€Å"Is a battle for al I hold dear. For al my memories. Back when I was a child and the boardinghouse was built – it was just a home, then, and I was very happy. As a young woman, I was very happy. And now that I have lived long enough to be an old woman – Well, besides you children, I Stillhave friends like Sophia Alpert and Orime Saitou. They are both healing women, and very good at it. We Stilltalk about different uses for my herbs.† Matt snapped his fingers. â€Å"That's another reason I was confused,†he said. â€Å"Because Dr. Alpert said that you and Mrs. Saitou were such good people. I thought she meant the old Mrs. Saitou – â€Å" â€Å"Who is not a ‘Mrs. Saitou'at all,†Mrs. Flowers said, almost sharply. â€Å"I have no idea what her name real y is – perhaps she is real y Inari, a deity gone bad. Ten years ago, I didn't know what made Orime Saitou suddenly so diffident and quiet. Now I realize that it began just around the time her ‘mother'moved in with her. I was quite fond of young Isobel, but she suddenly became – aloof – in an unchildlike way. Now I understand. And I am determined to fight for her – and for you – and for a town that is worth saving. Human lives are very, very precious. And now – here we are.† Matt had just turned onto the Saitous'block. Meredith took a moment to openly stare at the figure in the front passenger seat. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers!†she exclaimed. This made Matt turn to stare in his turn and what he saw made him clip a Volkswagen Jetta parked by the sidewalk. â€Å"Mrs†¦. Flowers?† â€Å"Please park now, Matt. You needn't cal me Mrs. Flowers if you don't want to. I have returned to the time when I was Theophilia – when my friends cal ed me Theo.† â€Å"But – how – why – ?†Matt stuttered. â€Å"I told you. I felt that it was time. Sage left me a gift that helped me change. An enemy beyond your powers to fight has arisen. I felt this back at the boardinghouse. This is the time that I have been waiting for. The last battle with the true enemy of Fel ‘s Church.† Meredith's heart actual y seemed ready to fly out of her chest. She had to be calm – calm and logical. She had seen magic many times. She knew the look of it, the feel of it. But frequently she had been too busy comforting Bonnie, or too worried about aiding Bonnie to take in what she was facing. Now, it was just her and Matt – and Matt had a stricken, stupefied look, as if he hadn't seen enough magic before. As if he might crack. â€Å"Matt,†she said loudly, and then even louder, â€Å"Matt!† He turned, then, to look at her, with his blue eyes wild and dark. â€Å"They'l kill her, Meredith!†he said. â€Å"Shinichi and Misao – you don't know what it feels like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Come on,†Meredith said. â€Å"We have to make sure that it doesn't kil her.† The dazed look passed from Matt's eyes. â€Å"We have to do this,†he agreed simply. â€Å"Right,†said Meredith, final y releasing him. Together they got out of the car to stand by Mrs. Flowers – no, by Theo. Theo had hair that hung almost to her waist; so fair that it looked silver in the moonlight. Her face was – electrifying. It was young; young and proud, with classic features and a look of quiet determination. Somehow during the drive, her clothes had changed too. Instead of a coat covered with bits of paper, she was wearing a sleeveless white gown that ended in a slight train. In style, it reminded Meredith a little of the â€Å"mermaid†dress she herself had worn when going to a bal in the Dark Dimension. But Meredith's dress had only made her look sultry. Theo looked†¦magnificent. As for the Post-it Note amulets†¦somehow the paper had disappeared and the writing had grown enormously, changing into very large scrawls that wrapped around the white gown. Theo was literal y swathed in haute couture arcane protection. And although she was reed slender, she was tal . Tal er than Meredith, tal er than Matt, tal er than Stefan, wherever he was in the Dark Dimensions. She was this tal not only because she had grown so much, but because the train of her dress was just brushing the ground. She had entirely overcome gravity. The whip, Sage's present to her, was coiled into a circle attached to her waist, shining as silver as her hair. Matt and Meredith simultaneously closed the SUV's doors. Matt left the engine running for a quick getaway. They walked around the garage so that they could see the front of the house. Meredith, not caring what she looked like or whether she seemed cool or in control, wiped her hands, one and then the other, on her jeans. This was the stave's first – and possibly only – true battle. What counted was not appearance, but performance. Both she and Matt stopped dead when they saw the figure standing at the bottom of the steps in front of the porch. It was no one they could identify from the house. But then the crimson lips opened, the delicate hands flew up to cover them, and wind-chime laughter came from somewhere behind the hands. For a moment they could only stare, fascinated, at this woman who was dressed al in black. She was ful y as tal as Theo, ful y as slender and graceful, and she was floating equal y high off the ground. But what Meredith and Matt were staring at was the fact that her hair was like Misao's or Shinichi's – but reversed. Whereas they had black hair with a crimson fringe on the bottom, this woman had crimson hair – yards and yards of it, with a black fringe al around it. Not only that, but she had delicate black fox ears emerging from the crimson hair, and a long sleek crimson tail, tipped with black. â€Å"Obaasan?†Matt gasped in disbelief. â€Å"Inari!†Meredith snapped. The lovely creature didn't even look at them. She was staring at Theo in contempt. â€Å"Tiny witch of a tiny town,†she said. â€Å"You've used nearly al your Power just to stand up to my level. What good are you?† â€Å"I have very smal Powers,†Theo agreed. â€Å"But if the town is worthless, why has it taken you so long to destroy it? Why have you watched others try – or were they all your pawns, Inari? Katherine, Klaus, poor young Tyler – were they your pawns, Kitsune Goddess?† Inari laughed – Stillthat chiming, girlish giggling, behind her fingers. â€Å"I don't need pawns! Shinichi and Misao are my bond-servants, as al kitsune are! If I have left them some freedom, it has been so they can get experience. We'l go on to larger cities now, and ravage them.† â€Å"You have to take Fel ‘s Church first,†Theo said steadily. â€Å"And I won't let you do that.† â€Å"You Stilldon't understand, do you? You are a human, with almost no Power left! Mine is the largest star bal in the worlds! I am a Goddess!† Theo lowered her head, then lifted it to look Inari in the eyes. â€Å"Do you want to know what I think the truth is, Inari?†she said. â€Å"I think that you have come to the end of a long, long, but not immortal life. I think you have dwindled so that at last you need to use a great deal of Power from your star bal – wherever it is – to appear this way. You are a very, very ancient woman and you have been setting children against their own parents, and parents against children across the world because you envy the children's youth. You have even come to envy Shinichi and Misao, and let them be hurt, as revenge.† Matt and Meredith looked at each other with wide eyes. Inari was breathing rapidly, but it seemed she couldn't think of anything to say. â€Å"You've even pretended to have entered a ‘second childhood'to behave girlishly. But none of it satisfies you, because the plain, sad truth is that you have come to the end of your long, long lifetime – no matter how great your Power. We must al take that final journey, and it is your turn now.† â€Å"Liar!†shrieked Inari, looking for a moment more glorious – more radiant than before. But then Meredith saw why. Her scarlet hair had actual y begun to smolder, framing her face in a dancing red light. And at last she spoke venemously. â€Å"Well, then, if you think this is my last battle, I must be sure to cause al the pain I can. Starting with you, witch.† Meredith and Matt both gasped. They were afraid for Theo, especial y as Inari's hair was braiding itself into thick ropes like serpents that floated around her head as if she were Medusa. The gasps were a mistake – they attracted Inari's attention. But she didn't move. She only said, â€Å"Smel that sweet scent on the wind? A roast sacrifice! I think the result wil be oishii – delicious! But perhaps you two would like to speak to Orime or Isobel one last time. I'm afraid they can't come out to see you.† Meredith's heart was pounding violently in her throat, as she realized that the Saitous'house was on fire. It seemed as if there were several smal fires burning, but she was terrified at the implication that Inari had already done something to the mother and daughter. â€Å"No, Matt!†she cried, grabbing Matt's arm. He would have charged straight at the laughing black-clad woman and tried to attack her feet – and seconds were invaluable now. â€Å"Come help me find them!† Theo came to their aid. Drawing up the white bul whip, she whirled it once around her head and cracked it precisely on Inari's raised hands, leaving a bloody gash on one. As a furious Inari turned back to her, Meredith and Matt ran. â€Å"The back door,†Matt said as they careered around the side of the house. Up ahead they saw a wooden fence, but no gate. Meredith was just considering using the stave to pole-vault, when Matt panted, â€Å"Here!†and made a cradle of his hands for her to step into. â€Å"I'l boost you over!† Meredith hesitated only an instant. Then, as he skidded to a stop she jumped to place one foot in his inter-locked fingers. Suddenly she was flying upward. She made the most of it, landing, catlike, on the fence's flat top, and then jumping down. She could hear Matt scrambling up the fence as she was suddenly surrounded by black smoke. She jumped backward three feet and yel ed, â€Å"Matt, the smoke is dangerous! Get low; hold your breath. Stay outside to help them when I bring them out!† Meredith had no idea whether Matt would listen to her or not, but she obeyed her own rules, crouching low, breath held, opening her eyes briefly to try to find the door. Then she almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of an axe crashing into wood, of wood splintering, and of the axe crashing again. She opened her eyes and saw that Matt hadn't listened to her, but she was glad because he'd found the door. His face was black with soot. â€Å"It was locked,†he explained, hefting the axe. Any optimism Meredith might have felt splintered like the door as she looked inside and saw only flames and more flames. My God, she thought, anyone in there is roasting, is probably dead already. But where had that thought come from? Her knowledge or her fear? Meredith couldn't just stop now. She took a step into searing heat and shouted, â€Å"Isobel! Mrs. Saitou! Where are you?† There was a weak, choking cry. â€Å"That's the kitchen!†she said. â€Å"Matt, it's Mrs. Saitou! Please go get her!† Matt obeyed, but threw over his shoulder, â€Å"Don't you go farther in.† Meredith had to go farther in. She remembered very well where Isobel's room was. Directly under her â€Å"grandmother's.† â€Å"Isobel! Isobel! Can you hear me?†Her voice was so low and husky from smoke that she knew she had to keep going. Isobel might be unconscious or too hoarse to answer. Meredith dropped to her knees, crawling on the ground where the air was slightly cooler and more clear. Okay. Isobel's room. She didn't want to touch the door handle with her hand, so she wrapped her T-shirt around it. The handle wouldn't turn. Locked. She didn't bother to investigate how, she simply turned around and mule-kicked the door right beside the handle. Wood splintered. Another kick, and with a wooden scream the door swung free. Meredith was feeling dizzy now, but she needed to see the entire room. She took two strides in, and – there! Sitting up on the bed in the smoky, hot, but otherwise scrupulously tidy little room was Isobel. As Meredith neared the bed she saw – to her fury – that the girl was tied to the brass headboard with duct tape. Two slashes of the stave took care of that. Then, amazingly, Isobel moved, raising a blackened face up to Meredith's. That was when Meredith's fury peaked. The girl had duct tape across her mouth, to prevent her from making any cry for help. Wincing herself to show that she knew this was going to be painful, Meredith grasped the duct tape and stripped it off. Isobel didn't cry out; instead she took in lungful after lungful of smoky air. Meredith stumbled toward the closet, snatched two identical-looking white shirts, and swerved back to Isobel. There was a ful tumbler of water right beside her, on the nightstand. Meredith wondered if it had been put there deliberately to increase Isobel's agony, but she didn't hesitate to use it. She gave Isobel a quick sip, took one herself, and then soaked each shirt. She held one over her own mouth and Isobel mimicked her, holding the wet shirt over her nose and mouth. Then Meredith grabbed her and guided her back to the door. After that it simply became a nightmare journey of crawling and kneeling and choking, pul ing Isobel with her al the time. Meredith thought it would never end, as each inch forward became harder and harder. The stave was an unbearable weight to heave along with her, but she refused to let go of it. It's precious, her mind said, but is it worth your life? No, Meredith thought. Not my life, but who knows what else wil be out there if I get Isobel into the cool darkness? You'l never get her there if you die because of – an object. It's not an object! Painful y Meredith used the stave to clear some smoldering debris from her path. It belonged to Grandpa in the time when he was sane. It fits my hand. It's not just a thing! Have it your own way, the voice said, and disappeared. Meredith was beginning to run into more debris now. Despite the cramping in her lungs, she was sure that she could make it out of the back door. She knew there should be a laundry room on her right. They should be able to feel a space there. And then suddenly in the dark something reared up and struck her a blow on the head. It took her dimming mind a long time to come up with a name for the thing that had hurt her. Armchair. Somehow they'd crawled too far. This was the living room. Meredith was flooded with horror. They'd gone too far – and they couldn't go out the front door into the midst of magical battle. They would have to backtrack, and this time make sure to find the laundry room, their gate to freedom. Meredith turned around, pul ing Isobel with her, hoping the younger girl would understand what they had to do. She left the stave on the burning living room floor. Elena sobbed to get her breath, even though she was al owing Stefan to help her now. He ran, holding Bonnie by one hand and Elena by the other. Damon was somewhere in front – scouting. It can't be far now, she kept thinking. Bonnie and I both saw the brightness – we both did. Just then, like a lantern put into a window, Elena saw it again. It's big, that's the problem. I keep thinking we should reach it because I have the wrong idea of what size it is in my mind. The closer we get, the bigger it gets. And that's good for us. We'l need a lot of Power. But we need to get there soon, or it could be al the Power in the universe and it won't matter. We'l be too late. Shinichi had indicated that they would be too late – but Shinichi had been born a liar. Still, surely just beyond that low branch was†¦ Oh, dear God, she thought. It's a star ball.